


cabin fever

by xxprincessxx



Series: 12 Days of Christmas [2]
Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: 12 Days of Christmas, Alternate Universe - College/University, Banter, Cabin Fic, Christmas fic, F/M, Rivals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:00:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27846470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxprincessxx/pseuds/xxprincessxx
Summary: Nini agrees to switch cabins to give her best friend time with her boyfriend. What she didn't realize was who her new cabin mate was going to be for the week.
Relationships: Ricky Bowen & Nini Salazar-Roberts, Ricky Bowen/Nini Salazar-Roberts
Series: 12 Days of Christmas [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2029471
Comments: 12
Kudos: 66





	cabin fever

**Author's Note:**

> second instalment of my christmas series! hope you all enjoy xx

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” Nini deadpans as she opens the door to the cabin Gina had pointed out for her.

It was the first week of December, Nini agreed to go on a trip with her friends and a few of their friends she didn't know as well, all the way to Lake Tahoe. She hadn’t gone on a holiday trip with her friends before, having always declined due to a tight budget or her school and work schedule just couldn’t seem to line up with everyone else’s. But it was her senior year of college, and she was determined to make it work. She had spent hours on end in the library the weeks leading up to their trip, making sure all her papers were done beforehand and all she had to do was submit them.

This was going to be the trip she was going to remember forever. They were going to spend their days skating, skiing, and snowboarding. Maybe check out the small town that she had seen on their way in and sit by the fireplace and tell stories until the early morning.

The entire place was completely covered in snow, so pristine and crisp, she just wanted to jump into it but also didn’t want to disrupt the beauty of it all. Even the trees were covered in white, the evergreen barely peaking through underneath it, and there was a beautiful view of the now frozen over lake, just behind the row of cabins they were all going to be staying in, only 2 or 3 people per cabin.

The place they were staying at was just absolutely beautiful.

But the sight inside of the cabin wasn’t. Well, not so much the place, rather the person standing by the dresser shoving some clothes into the drawer. He was tall with curly and unruly hair, his highlights were beginning to grow out. And he was dressed in a warm knitted sweater, the edges beginning to fray, paired with black jeans and warm cabin socks.

Richard Bowen — her number one rival.

Ever since they met back in freshman year, they’ve been competing against each other for top of the class. They did try to be friends when they had first met during the first month of school. But after having a project together, they couldn’t seem to stop arguing over what topic would be better and kept trying to one-up the other. Ever since then, they’ve been vying for the top spot of every class they’ve shared.

Snapping his head in her direction, his eyes widen surprised by the high-pitched voice, but as soon as recognition starts to settle in a smirk takes over his surprised look.

“Well, sweetheart, I told you that it was a one time offer,” He begins to slowly walk over to her, tucking his hands into his back pockets. “But I’ll make an exception for you, babe.” He winks, his lips slanting into a smug look.

“You’re a pig.” Nini scoffs rolling her eyes at his comment, pushing past him and into the room ensuring to close the door tightly, not wanting the cold air to seep into the room.

Watching her carefully, he finally notices her duffle bag in her hand and the backpack slung over her shoulder. He squints at her slightly, knowing that he was definitely not supposed to be sharing the room with her. They weren’t even aware that the other was going to be on the same trip, if they had known they would have at least devised a plan in their head to do anything to avoid the other for the sake of their friends.

Ricky clears his throat, scratching the back of his head, “What are you doing?” He questions.

Dropping her bag on the bench that was leaned up against the wall by the dresser, “What does it look like?” She quips, looking at him briefly before starting to unload her things.

“Last I checked, EJ doesn’t have an annoying and whiny voice,” He remarks, noting the irritated look taking over her face, “Where is he? I know I’m not supposed to be bunking with you this week.”

“Gina asked me to switch. She wants to share a cabin with her boyfriend or whatever, I didn’t ask for details. I thought that it couldn’t be the worst thing in the world. Maybe EJ had a really cute friend, I wouldn’t have been completely opposed, you know?” She lifts her shoulders in a shrug, looking the boy up and down slowly checking him out, “Unfortunately, I got you instead.”

He rolls his eyes, “Hey! I’m cute.”

“Keep telling yourself that.” She sneers, finally taking the chance to look around the room, slowly walking around.

Everything from the floors to the walls to the furniture was wooden. Surprisingly they had all complimented each other, and the furniture didn’t simply fade into the walls despite the wood being nearly identical in colour. A small furnace was placed in the corner, black in colour, with an old-style kettle sitting on top of it. A table for two was sat right next to it, a few complimentary things sat on top of the table inside a basket.

As her eyes skimmed the room, she couldn’t help but smile slightly at the little small space. Despite her situation, she absolutely loved being in something so woodsy, a big change from the city that they were accustomed to. Everything seemed so quiet, where instead of the hustle and bustle of people and honking cars were heard outside the window, it was the gusting of the wind and the laughter erupting from the people making their way to their own cabins.

Suddenly her eyes fall on the one thing that she didn’t notice when she had walked in. There was a single king-sized bed in the middle of the room. It had white clean sheets, a fuzzy grey throw blanket sat at the foot of the bed, and too many pillows were propped against the wooden headboard. It looked like something completely pulled out of Pinterest, and she’d be fawning over it if it wasn’t for the fact that she was going to have to share the bed with the last person she could’ve asked for.

Noticing her eyes lingering on the bed longer than she had on anything else in the room, Ricky slowly walks back over to the dresser, folding his clothes and putting them into the top drawer neatly.

“I’m not the worst person to sleep next to.” He points out.

“How would you know?” Nini raises an eyebrow mockingly, taking a seat on the bed.

“Do you really wanna know?” Ricky sends her a sly smirk, wiggling his eyebrows at the girl perched on the foot of the bed.

Nini rolls her eyes, “You’re so gross.” She shakes her head, “Just don’t touch me tonight.”

“Wasn’t planning on it.” He replies.

The pair remained silent for the next hour, Nini had claimed the left side of the bed deciding to unpack her things later giving Ricky the chance to finish unpacking. She laid on her stomach as she pulled a book out of her bag, flipping through the pages as her eyes flitted over the words printed on each page. Falling further into the story, not quite realizing how late it’s gotten until she feels a dip on the other side of the bed.

Tilting her head to the side she sees Ricky trying to reload his Twitter feed. Poking her toe into his ankle, grabbing his attention. He hisses at the contact, shooting her a harsh warning look, taking one of his AirPods out of his ear that was closer to her.

“Your toes are literally like icicles. Are you not cold?” He questions, not really caring for her answer.

“A little.” She shrugs nonchalantly, “I’m just trying to tell you that you won’t have much luck with the Twitter thing. Gi said that they don’t get much service out here.”

Ricky nods, sitting up higher in his spot, leaning his back on the headboard. “Aren’t we supposed to go meet up with everybody?” He questions, scratching his jaw.

Shaking her head, “No, uh,” She rolls over to sit up, crossing her legs over each other as she faces him. Folding her bookmark into the spine of her book, where she had left off ensuring she didn’t lose her spot. “I walked over with the girls, and they were kinda tired so they decided we’d just pick up early in the morning.”

“Oh.” Ricky nods, pursing his lips together as he tries to think about what to say next. “Are you planning on reading this entire week?” He grabs the closed book that was sitting in her lap, flipping through the pages curiously.

She notes the tone in his voice like he was judging her for bringing a million books on their week-long break. “Do you ever mind your own business?” She squints at the boy, pulling the paperback out of his hands.

Unable to help himself, he rolls his eyes at her response not having intended on using a condescending voice, “God, I’m just trying to be civil.” Ricky scoffs, getting up from his side of the bed. “We’re sharing a cabin for an entire week, you think you’d at least try to get along with me or even just pretend, is it really that hard?” He bites back, walking off to the other side of the room while shoving his AirPod back in his ear, rifling through his bag that he had left on the bench next to hers.

The small girl folds her legs back into herself, feeling a little guilty by what she had said. But that was always how their interactions would go. He would prod and poke and make fun of whatever thought she had or what she was doing and even what she would say. And she would be as ruthless right back, it’s been like that for nearly four years, so why was he acting so hurt now?

Deciding to brush it off, thinking he’s probably just tired from the long drive over. Slipping underneath the comforter, she shivers from the contact of the change in temperature, the sheets being a little colder than she had expected. Ricky wasn’t wrong, she was cold but she was a lot colder than she had let on. Despite the long sleeve she was wearing and her thick leggings, she was still freezing.

A deep sigh expels from her body as she pries open her book, she attempts to pick up where she had left off but kept getting distracted by the boy sitting at the small table in the corner, his sweater was now hanging off the back of his seat leaving him in a simple white v-neck. Peering over her book, ensuring she wasn’t being obvious, she watches as he scribbles something down in a notebook that he had brought.

Curiously she sits up leaning her head against the headboard as she notices the intense focus look on Ricky’s face. His hand gripping the pen tightly, the veins in his arm popping slightly as his jaw tightens in thought sharpening his jawline. Nini has become accustomed to the look on his face, incredibly focused needing to write everything down before he forgets a single word. The pair have shared too many classes in the last few years, she's gotten to know Ricky's expressions and ticks.

“Is that for music theory? Or your own work?” She breaks him out of his train of thought, shutting her book closed once more.

“Look who’s minding their own business.” He snaps, looking over at Nini. Tossing his pen down on the table carelessly, letting it roll nearly tipping over the edge.

Nini sighs, pressing her thumb and index finger to the bridge of her nose. She definitely deserved that quip, and she hates what was running through her head. It was the fact that he was right, they didn’t need to constantly be at each other’s throats. One of the things she hated was admitting defeat, especially to the boy that was glaring at her.

There was always something about Ricky that ticked her off. It was so easy to fire argument after argument towards him, and in all honesty, she always felt a little more alive when they fought. They fed off each other’s energy in a way neither of them could understand, but they would push it to the back of their minds.

Slipping out from the now warm sheets, taking a seat across from the body. Picking up the pen that was on her side of the table, keeping her focus on the small object to avoid looking up at the man staring down at her.

“You’re right.” She breathes out, sticking her hand up signalling for him to not say a word until she’s done. “You and I both know how we hate telling each other they’re right, but you are. This isn’t exactly a situation either of us wants to be in, but there’s no reason to compete. We’re rivals, not enemies. We’re here with our friends and we should enjoy the time we get to take off.”

“Yeah, and I don’t think our friends want us threatening to push each other down the slopes.” He admits, rubbing the back of his neck.

Lifting her eyes to meet his gaze, “You were thinking about pushing me down the slopes?” She gasps, raising an eyebrow accusingly.

“It passed my mind briefly,” Ricky laughs at Nini’s shocked expression, “Come on, Nini! You can’t say you weren't thinking the same thing as me!”

“I wasn't!” She argues, throwing the pen in her hand at his chest.

The pair let out a loud laugh at the exchange between them. After a few minutes, they calmed down from their fit of giggles, their eyes falling back at each other. Nini notices how Ricky’s gaze flickers down from her eyes to her lips and her breath hitches slightly. The quietness of their cabin was even more prevalent than it had been a few moments ago.

Ricky clears his throat, standing up from his seat and heading over to one of the bags he hadn’t unpacked. Crouching down on the ground as he pries open the duffle, rifling through the contents inside.

Shaking her head out of the awkward moment that had passed between the two, Nini peers over curiously watching what the boy was doing. The bag was filled to the brim with food. From her position, she could spot a couple of packages of cookies and crackers, a bag or two of chips, and even a box of macaroni and cheese. A little curious how long this boy thought they were going to be away, considering how much food he had bought.

He pulls out a couple of ramen packages and throws them down onto the small table in front of her. Moving around the room silently as he fills up the kettle that was sitting on the furnace, and begins to boil the water.

“Why are you eating two cups?” Nini inquires, breaking the weird silence that was surrounding them. “That’s not exactly good for you, you know? Do you know how much sodium goes in these things?” She picks up one of the packages, reading the nutritional value that was printed on the side of the package.

“I’m not eating two.” Ricky responds confused, sitting back down in front of her once he was sure the kettle was getting hotter. “One’s for you.”

“What?”

He rolls his eyes, “We have to eat, Nini.”

“You’re not trying to poison me, right?” She quirks an eyebrow at the boy.

Taken aback by her statement, “We literally just called a truce, Roberts.”

Propping her elbow back on the table, she sticks her fist up at him with her pinky sticking straight up. “Pinky promise?”

“Are we six?”

“If you can’t uphold a pinky promise, I don’t think I could ever trust you, Bowen.” Nini hardens her stare at the boy, “Pinky promise or you’re sleeping outside tonight.”

“Fine.” He glares, wrapping his pinky around hers, "You're so cold!" Ricky exclaims, feeling how cold her finger was wrapped around his own.

Nini presses her lips together, as she brings her pinky back down to her lap. "It's a little colder than I'd like." 

Unexpectedly, Ricky grabs his sweater that was hanging off the back of the chair and handing it over to her. Nini eyes him curiously, acting like she didn't exactly know what he was talking about. Ricky's chest rises and falls deeply in a sigh disliking the fact that he was going to have to tell her what he meant. 

"Just take it!" He exasperates, "I don't need it and you literally feel like a popsicle."

Her nose scrunches in embarrassment, finally taking a hold of the knitted sweater and slipping her arms through it. Letting the sweater already warm her body up, she could smell Ricky's scent lingering from the garment. It was a mix between the smell of coffee and his cologne that she always complained about, but secretly thought it was a heavenly scent.

"Thanks." She smiles sweetly. 

Ricky was trying to fight the thoughts of how she looked incredibly cute and small in his sweater. Like he wanted to wrap her up and store her away in his pocket for no one else to have but him. Trying his best to take his mind off that thought, he searches for something else to say. But gets caught up once more as his gaze lingers over the brunette's features, particularly her pink lips that she was pursing together as she was lost in her own head. 

Neither was quite sure what to do next, not having had a conversation starter or a joke to lighten the mood again. Especially after their small fit of laughter, and the small flicker of Ricky’s eyes, and now they couldn’t seem to tear their eyes off of each other. 

Shifting her gaze around the room, she remembers the deck of cards that she had brought for the entire group to play with if they ever got the chance.

“Do you want to play a game?” Nini asks, breaking the tension between them.

“The more you talk, the more I’m convinced you’re like six years old.” Ricky lets out a laugh, smiling brighter than she’s ever seen on him before.

“Ricky!” She kicks him lightly underneath the table, the tip of her toes meeting his shin.

The boy pouts, his eyes softening as he pulls his best puppy dog-eyed look on the girl, “You’re a cute six year-old.”

Nini hums, “A little better, I suppose.”

The noise of the kettle breaks them out of their banter, Ricky and Nini both get out of their seats as Ricky deals with the kettle and Nini grabs the deck of cards. The boy sings underneath his breath a song that he had been working on the last few days as he made their dinner. Not like there was really much for him to do aside from just pouring the hot water over the dry noodles that were in the cup.

“I’ve never said it before,” Nini starts, a blush already rising to her cheeks as she takes her seat again, “But you have a really nice voice, Ricky. I’ve always envied you because of it.”

“Me?” He chuckles pointing to himself, “Have you heard yourself? Ever since we had that music creativity class in freshman year, I’ve been, like, in total awe of yours.”

“You’re lying.” She lets out a laugh, not believing the words that had fallen from his mouth. Prying open the box of cards, she begins to shuffle them in her hands as his words begin to repeat over and over in her head.

Ricky shakes his head, a smile slipping onto his face, “It’s why I’ve always been so competitive with you. You’re just so damn good and talented. It's not just your voice, but you're an amazing songwriter. Like, your originals are fucking insane, Nini.”

Sliding the steaming cup over to her after he stuck a fork inside for her to use. Sitting across from her, moving his own fork around the styrofoam cup, loosening up the noodles before he takes a wary bite trying his best not to burn his tongue. Watching carefully as Nini copies his motion, her fork didn’t have as many noodles as he did, which was probably the smarter way to go.

“Really?” Nini squints before taking a bite of her dinner.

He rolls his eyes, “Contrary to popular belief, I never hated you.” Shoving his mouth with a forkful of the pale yellow noodles, as he watches Nini’s face contort into one of confusion.

“You didn’t?” She raises an eyebrow questioningly.

“No.” Ricky shakes his head in answer, she couldn’t help but watch as his curls flew from side to side at his gesture. “We butt heads all the time, but that doesn’t mean I ever hated you. We’re simply rivals at school.”

“I suppose.” Nini shifts, folding one of her legs underneath her as she gives herself more height for the table. “For the record, I never hated you either.”

Ricky smiles, “Good to know it’s just some good ol’ competition.”

“Couldn’t have asked for a better opponent.” Nini giggles, twirling her fork before lifting it to her mouth to take a bite.

“So,” Ricky decides to change their conversation topic once more, “What’s this game you wanna play?” He picks up one of the cards off of the deck, noticing the picture that was printed on the three of hearts.

Unable to help himself, he lets out a loud laugh, turning the card over to look at the back not having noticed the print was different than a typical deck of cards. Holding the card in between his index and middle finger, he shows Nini what he was laughing about.

“I love how much of a bookworm you are.” He laughs, as Nini had brought her _Harry Potter_ deck of cards.

“Oh, shut it!” Nini snatches the card out of his hands, “I know you love _Harry Potter_ just as much as me. Do you want to play a game or not?” She pokes her tongue out at the boy.

“Okay, okay,” Ricky raises his hands in surrender.

The rest of the night was spent playing random card games, Nini yelling at Ricky for cheating with Go Fish, while Ricky kept trying to peer over at her hand curious as to what she was dealt. Over the next few hours they got to know each other better, Nini even made some hot chocolate from the powdered packages she had brought that had the little tiny marshmallows in them. The pair laughed as they would take turns sharing a story or a joke as they munched on chips and cookies with the warm beverage in their hands.

In the four years they’ve known each other, they didn’t realize how much they actually had in common. They were both incredibly into music, both majoring in music and studying to be a teacher. Sharing a love for the same books, movies, and TV shows, both being the biggest film and book geeks out of all of their friends — not like that was saying much.

Neither couldn’t believe they spent this entire time being rivals when in reality they would’ve been the best of friends.

Now, they were sitting on the bed bundled up in their pajamas, Ricky’s was notably much warmer than the small girl’s next to him but she still had his sweater wrapped around her tiny frame. They were nursing their third cup of hot chocolate, Nini’s had a candy cane swirling around in hers, the pair taking turns snatching a chip from the bag that laid in between them. Nini’s laptop was propped up on some pillows as the credits of the _Chronicles of Narnia_ played on the screen, the girl had downloaded a few movies prior to their trip for preparation.

The small screen was the only light that was illuminating the room. So as Nini leans over to shut her laptop closed, the room filled up with darkness once more. Setting her laptop down on the nightstand next to her white mug, ensuring it didn’t topple anything over while Ricky shoves the bag of chips onto his own nightstand. Nini lets out a loud sigh as she leans back on the pillows, a yawn escaping from her mouth.

Clearing her throat, she turns to look up at Ricky after noticing the time was nearing 2 AM, “We should probably sleep.”

“Yeah,” Ricky nods in agreement, stifling a yawn as he slips further into the sheets letting the warmth of the comforter surround him. “Good night, Nini.”

“Night, Ricky.”

After a few minutes of Nini trying her best to warm herself up by pulling the sheets closer to her body, she just couldn’t seem to get comfortable. Tossing and turning trying to make the goosebumps that were rising to her skin to come down, and the shivers to stop trailing up and down her spine. She pulls at the comforter, rolling onto her side not quite realizing how much of the sheets she had pulled.

“Nini!” Ricky groans, snapping his head in her direction.

Glancing over her shoulder realizing she took most, if not all, of Ricky’s share of the blanket. She blushes at the realization, rolling back over to face him, “Sorry,” She mumbles a small apology, a pout takes over her face.

“I’m cold.” She whispers.

“Come here.” Ricky opens up his arms, motioning for the petite girl to slot herself into his hold.

“Really?” Nini knits her eyebrows together confused by the sudden gesture.

Ricky chuckles, pulling on Nini’s arm as he shifts closer to the middle of the bed. Her head now resting in the crook of his neck, as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders pulling her closer into his warm chest while the other slithered around her waist, resting his large hand on the small of her back. Nini pulls the blanket that she once had stolen from the boy and drapes it over both of them.

Feeling her body relax into his hold, embracing the warmth his body was emanating and she slips her arms past his sweater and rests her hands on the cotton of his shirt. She sighs as Ricky’s grip tightens around her, his hand slowly travelling up and down her back comfortingly.

“Why are you being so nice to me?” She mutters against the skin of his neck, her fingers curling into his t-shirt.

“We’re friends,” He answers simply, “I don’t want my friend to die of hypothermia, especially when you’re sleeping next to me.”

“Oh, shut up,” Nini laughs, tightening her hold on him as she lifts her head to look into his dark eyes. Despite the room having no light, she was able to make out the shape of his nose and the small grin that was dancing its way onto his lips, looking up at the girl in his arms. “We’re friends?” She asks, fiddling with his shirt between her fingers.

The boy manages a half shrug, “Do you want to be friends?”

“I’d really like that.” Nini sends him a bright smile, “As long as this doesn’t get in the way of who gets top of the class.”

Ricky lets out a laugh, his thumb digging into the dips of her spine, “Oh sweetheart, not a chance in hell I’ll go easy on you.”

“Good.” She giggles, drawing her lip in between her teeth for a moment as the laughter dies down in both of their throats. “Thank you for tonight, especially for keeping me warm.” She leans down to plant a tender kiss to his cheek before tucking herself back into his neck.

“Anything for you, Nini.” He laughs, thankful that the room was dim and she couldn’t tell that his cheeks were burning bright red.

Neither would ever admit it, but that night was the best sleep either of them has had in a long time.


End file.
